Johnstown's Hiles doesn't let withered arm slow him

Saturday

May 4, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 4, 2013 at 9:47 AM

JOHNSTOWN, Ohio - The past 10 days of standing in the spotlight have been so overwhelming for Preston Hiles that digging into the batter's box against a wild pitcher with a blazing fastball would be refuge.

Mark Znidar, The Columbus Dispatch

JOHNSTOWN, Ohio - The past 10 days of standing in the spotlight have been so overwhelming for Preston Hiles that digging into the batter's box against a wild pitcher with a blazing fastball would be refuge.

Four times he has had to interrupt his practice routine as a senior left fielder for Johnstown to pose for a photographer and be interviewed by two television reporters and two newspaper reporters.

Hiles deserves the attention because he has been a hero for the Johnnies. He caught a 26-yard touchdown pass during a 42-7 victory over Ironton in a Division IV regional semifinal in November. He has been even more conspicuous for the baseball team batting .351 with only two strikeouts in 37 at-bats.

The real story has been Hiles' persistence and courage competing despite having been born with a withered right arm.

In the field, it takes what seems like only a millisecond for him to catch the ball with his left hand, tuck the glove underneath his right arm, take the ball out of the glove and throw.

At bat, he stands in the left-hander's batter's box and uses only his left arm to swing a 31-inch bat.

"I do think I'm a strong person," Hiles said. "I do think I have had a lot of motivation to succeed. A lot of things I've had to figure out on my own. I had to work hard to get all this down. I did have success right away - I sure did."

In the hallways of the high school, Hiles is outgoing to the point where he's a jokester. The smiles sometimes mask the pain of what can be a cruel world. Outside this village of almost 4,700 in Licking County, people have stared, smirked and even laughed at Hiles.

"Preston still gets a lot of stares (from outsiders)," said his mother, April. "Preston deals with a lot of anger issues, and we have considered getting him counseling. We've shed many tears over this, but he has not seen one tear out of us. He's so strong."

His parents, Larry and April, have never used the word can't around their son. If he showed interest in a sport or activity, they went to the backyard to play or signed him up for a team.

"About an hour after Preston was born we said that we would never use this as an excuse for anything and that neither could he," Larry said. "Whatever Preston is passionate about, we've been there for him. Baseball was the first big equalizer for him. He thought, 'All right, I'm normal.' "

Johnstown coach Tony Cleveland said Hiles is a leader.

"Preston is doing a great job for us," he said. "Really, he has put this team on his back because of the way he competes. He's uplifting."

None of this might have been possible had Hiles not had a 10-minute phone conversation with someone who wakes up every day with the same challenges. When Hiles was a fifth-grader in Centerburg and trying out for the Mid-Ohio Bullets travel baseball team, family friend Scott Metcalf reached out to former pitcher Jim Abbott for help.

Despite having a withered right arm, Abbott was an All-American at Michigan, a member of the United States team that won the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, won 87 major-league games, including a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Indians in 1993.

"That was big for me," Hiles said. "Jim Abbott told me to block everyone out and to keep my eyes on the prize. What he said was really important to me. I did take his advice."

That's why Hiles was taken aback by the media attention, but more than willing to get his story out.

"What's awesome about this is that I do think I might be able to inspire kids with disabilities," he said.

Hiles wants to play college baseball and possibly major in psychology.

"Maybe I can help people out," he said. "Maybe I can help talk them through things that are bothering them."